An exploitative practice doesn't actually become good or acceptable because it's long running, that kinda makes it worse.
I'm kinda flabbergasted that I'm getting "Writing for exposure is how we all started!" 'cause that's some bs. If it's normalized in your work place that's your work places problem.
That's not what I said, though. I specifically suggested writing on commission, as well. That is paid work.
Notice, also, that I mentioned that Savin had been "begging" Tobs for the opportunity to pay him. Tobs specifically refused to be employed by SavCo for years.
It's writing for a video game. You can't say "Working for exposure is how you start out as a writer!" and then say "This doesn't count as professional writing, actually"
It's not a wiki, it's a video game.
Honestly, the closest analogy to community writing submissions isn't "being employed by a video game company", it's video game mod support. It is
optional user-created content (not necessary to complete the game and not even in the game's vision). However, in this case, devs edit your work for free, they make your work canonical, they code it into the game for you (also for free), and, in the case of community NPCs, the devs commission art for the game at
their expense but to the writer's specifications (within limits) to suit that NPC. Also, you get in-game name credits, and any Patreon or carrd or commission stuff you may have gets shilled in the official blog. This is so vastly out of proportion to anything that community modders can expect from any video game company that it beggars the mind.
And much like how community mod creators usually start out just doing their own thing for free because it's a thing they want to see in the game and
then transition to getting paid by people who like what they do, community writers usually transition fairly rapidly to being paid to write things that people like
once people know that they're decent writers and that they'll like it. They can get paid on commission by the fanbase, who are generally less discriminating than the devs. Or they can get paid on commission by the devs themselves, who offer bounties to write characters and scenes to fill out
necessary content areas.
In all cases, though, the content has to be well-written enough to meet editing and coding standards. And, more importantly, writers have to actually
treat it like a job. This is the stumbling block for, I would say, the overwhelming majority of people who think that they can write smut for money.
I think that, as far as smut games go, SavCo and FenCo are some of the
least exploitative producers out there. They're generous with the financial agreements they make with commissioned artists and writers, and they do a
lot to nurture the talent that they do have. If you write well and stick around, you're treated in a way that's commensurate with what you put in.
